Searching
by FullMetal Alchemistress
Summary: POST FANG. PREQUAL TO MISSING. Max finds a blog post from Fang nearly a year later. He's in Colorado. He's in their old house. And he has a new family. What will searching for him bring? Pain and heartbreak? Or will it be the best thing Max has ever done?
1. Chapter 1

**So. This is a prequel of sorts to my current Maximum Ride fanfic, "Missing". You DO NOT have to have previously read that one to understand this one, but it is encouraged that you have read FANG. This is POST FANG, so there will be SPOILERS FOR FANG.**

**Got it? **

**Kay :D **

**Chapter 1**

How do you find someone that doesn't want to be found? It's possible. We didn't want Itex to find us but sure enough they'd succeeded several times. But we were a group of six flying bird kids and a flying talking dog—not so hard to find. One runaway bird kid who may or may not be flying? Now that's a different story.

Let's just say that for the last eight months Iggy and the Gasman did their best to try and find him. I owed them a lot. They would be gone all day while I just sat and moped around the room. His room that he shared with the Gasman and Iggy. I'd come out of it occasionally, mingling with the rest of the flock and making sure they were okay. But I'd spend a few hours in there after I woke up, and a few before I went to bed.

That was the beginning. For the last three months I'd been searching on my own without the flock's help. I'd told Iggy and Gazzy to quit three months ago. I try to keep it on the DL, but I'm beginning to think the flock is more educated than they let on…I just didn't want them to worry. I'd straightened up my act within the last few months, realizing I can't shut down because Fang had walked out. He wasn't dead—I wouldn't believe that. Not again. During the day I would put on my bravest face, but I would search all night.

An unforeseen thunderstorm cut tonight's search short. As I was sitting in my room, I started to rummage through things he'd left behind—things I'd taken from his room. That's when I remembered his blog. I frantically searching the room for it and found it sticking part way out from under my bed.

Shortly after he left, I found a bunch of Fang's files on his laptop. The ditching loser hadn't bothered to delete them. I didn't find a password for his blog, though.

I sat on my bed, using pillows to prop me up, and balanced the laptop on my knees. Opening the web browser, I quickly typed in the web address for Fang's blog and held my breath as the page took forever to load.

My breath caught in my throat when I looked at the most recent posts. There was a gap between one he'd posted before he left, and the newest one, which was from a few weeks ago.

_I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I left the flock almost a year ago. Unbelievable, right? Completely unthinkable. Hardest thing I've ever had to do in my short bird kid life was leave Max._

_But it was the right thing. If you follow my blog at all, then you probably remember Angel's creepy premonition. Well it came true, unfortunately. I died, really died. You probably don't believe me, but Max injected a crap ton of adrenaline into my heart and brought me back. That's when I realized that I was endangering the flock. Everyone was right when they said I should break away and lead my own flock, for the sake of Max and the others._

_So I tried to._

My heart nearly stopped. Fang had a flock? A new family? I started to get angry. What, did he think he could replace us? Did he really think that lowly of his so-called family? Oh, yeah, next time I saw him, he was dead. I would beat him into a corner.

_I promised Max that if in 20 years the world was still turning we would meet up at a cave we once stayed at. Not that I'd say where exactly that was. I can only hope that by then Max has forgiven me._

_I can't say where I'm at, but it brings back a lot of memories—good and bad. It's where I first learned to fly._

I knew exactly where he was. It was so simple. He _had _to have known I would be reading his blog. Could it be a trap?

_I'll be sixteen next month. Almost a year down. Only 20 more to go…_

_Fly on,  
Fang_

"It can't be that simple."

I jumped and the laptop flew to the floor with a loud clatter. Angel stood in my doorway, Nudge right behind her. The noise caused commotion is the room next to mine. Great. Everyone was awake now.

"It's nothing, sweetie, go back to bed," I told her.

"Max, we want to help," Nudge murmured, walking past Angel towards the laptop. I made no efforts to stop her. If she didn't read it for herself, Angel would have just told her.

"What's up?" Iggy grumbled, running his hands through his tousled hair. Gazzy was standing next to him, his hand gripping Iggy's shirt from having led him here.

"Fang posted on his blog a few weeks ago," Nudge mumbled distantly, reading it.

"What?" Iggy snapped to attention. "So he's around a computer?"

"I think he's here in Colorado," I muttered.

"Why would—"Gazzy started, but Nudge cut him off, reading from the blog.

"_I can't say where I'm at, but it brings back a lot of memories—good and bad. It's where I first learned to fly_," Nudge read. She looked up excitedly. "He _is _here in Colorado! He's at the old house!"

"Wait, wait," Iggy said, holding up his hands and sitting on the edge of my bed. "That doesn't make sense. Why would he go there? He knows we're here. He had to have known we'd read the blog. Why would he put something like that in there? He knows we would find him that way."

"What if he wants to be found?" I whispered.

"I'm sorry, Max," Angel said quietly. "It can't be this easy."

"It's worth taking a look, though, right?" Gazzy asked. I smiled.

"You're right, Gazzy," I said, standing and mussing his hair. "We'll all go later today. Now, everyone back to bed."

"You, too," Iggy muttered, waiting for the others to leave.

"I will."

**Whatchu tink?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah, sorry I haven't updated in so long. A lot has gone on. My car broke down, I get it back 2 days later, but then I was involved in a car accident the next day, totaling my car. Then my best friend starts fooling around with the guy I had been interested in behind my back, and when I confront her about it, she DENIES any feelings for him, but then an hour later changes her relationship status on FaceBook to in a relationship with him. Then I had winterguard championships is South Carolina and now I'm on Spring Break. Well, I was. My one goal of Spring Break was to ask tis guy to prom. But he got a girlfriend the day I was away at championships. My best friend and the ex-crush-guy she's dating knew, but wanted to see me get rejected so they didn't tell me. Great friends I have, right?**

**ANYWAYS…**

**Chapter 2**

The thunderstorm still raged an hour later. Rain pelted the windows—a perfect cover for Iggy and the Gasman. The door to Max's room opened a crack, before being shut by Gazzy, who then tapped Iggy.

Both proceeded to the kitchen, Iggy in the lead. He motioned for Gazzy to open the window and climb out.

"Max is gonna be mad," the Gasman muttered as soon as they were far away from the house.

"Not if we bring her anger an offering," Iggy chuckled.

"A sacrifice?" Gazzy laughed. "That's if the butthead lives through what we give him!"

Iggy laughed. "We're almost there; try to stay as quiet as possible."

The Gasman and Iggy landed in front of the house after several minutes of nearly silent flying.

"I can't believe he was so close," Gazzy whispered to himself.

"We can't be—" Iggy heard a muffled whimper and comforting shush from the other side of the front door.

Gazzy looked at Iggy. If Fang was in the foyer…well, they knew every way to get out of the house and the foyer was one place you _didn't _want to be when someone attacked. Iggy knew instantly that if he was there, they had him trapped even though they hadn't meant to. It would take Fang too long to get to another room with an accessible exit. Iggy and Gazzy had him stuck.

"We need a plan," the Gasman whispered.

Without responding, Iggy stepped forward, hands searching for the door knob. His fingers barely touched the cool metal before he jerked back and slammed a foot into the door right next to it, effectively opening it. Shocked, Gazzy pushed by Iggy, who stood blindly in the threshold, and looked around wildly.

There, in the corner, was Fang. He was on his knees, hands on the shoulders of a girl no older than four or five. His head snapped up and Gazzy was on the receiving end of a vicious glare s soon as Fang recognized the dark silhouettes.

"Dude! Don't look at us like that," Gazzy snapped.

"Oh? He's giving _us _looks?" Iggy exclaimed sarcastically. "We're sorry. We totally thought _you _ ditched _us_!"

Fang twitched and looked back at the girl, still glaring. "You shouldn't have come here," he said quietly and coldly. "You shouldn't have looked for me." He stood up and picked the small girl up, placing her on his hip. She let out a small scared sound as thunder clashed outside, and buried her head in his neck.

"You shouldn't have left," Gazzy countered.

"Is she here?" Fang asked evenly.

"No, but she can be," Iggy grumbled.

"I can't go back. Not yet."

"19 more years. Is that it?" Iggy snapped. "I hope you know what you've done."

"The flock is better off this way."

"But Max _isn't_. Geez!" Gazzy huffed. "Quit being so…_emo_!"

Fang shot him an angry look and Gazzy flinched. Fang usually had a good control over his facial expressions. But the anger there…

"She'll be okay," he said, brushing strands of brown hair out of the girl's face.

"You don't get it," Iggy snapped. "Max is part of the flock, too, you know. It used to be that she'd lie to us about you guys, but at least she was…"

"Happy," the Gasman supplied.

"Now she's lying to us, but she's totally depressed."

"Wonder whose fault that is?" Gazzy mumbled bitterly.

"Guys—"

"We know, you can't come back, right?" Iggy guessed.

"Bring her with you," the Gasman suggested, desperate. "Just please! For Max's sake, _come home_."

"Bring _who _with him?" Iggy asked, startled.

"Her name is Spook. I found her in the woods. She's…like us," Fang explained. She had fallen asleep sucking her thumb, he head resting in the crook of his neck. Her straight brown hair was long, as if she'd never seen a haircut in her life. It hung down past Fang's arm that was curled underneath her.

"Bring her with you," Iggy pressed.

Fang looked like he was seriously considering it, but he suddenly shut his eyes and sighed.

"I can't."

"We'll _make _you," Gazzy threatened.

Fang looked at him blankly for a few seconds before whispering, "Don't tell Max," and disappearing.

"Don't tell Max what?" Iggy asked confusedly when the Gasman gasped.

Fang had literally disappeared. As in, one minute he was standing there, the next, was just air. Sure, he'd done it before. It was his power. But never like this. It wasn't ever so quick. Had he honed that power? Of course he had. And now he was no longer trapped in the foyer.

"Dude!" Gazzy yelled. "Not cool!"

"What?" Iggy was getting frustrated.

"He disappeared. Like vanished!"

They both looked around until they were sure Fang was gone. There wasn't even a trace of them. In the end, Iggy and Gazzy left, angry and empty handed. If Fang thought they were angry when he first left, they were totally fuming when they left, defeated.

"They goed?" Spook whispered as Fang moved aside a curtain in the living room to watch them disappear beyond the trees.

"Yeah," he sighed. "They'll be back."

**MPOV**

I walked through the open front door and took a deep breath. I inhaled deeply again, but didn't choke on dust. "He's been here recently."

"Lassie's onto something!" Iggy said with mock enthusiasm, tugging at the Gasman's sleeve.

Neither was laughing when Nudge walked up behind them and gave them both a whack on the back of the head.

"I don't think anyone's here," Angel started to say, but there was a noise. It was soft and barely audible. But Iggy caught it louder than we did. His finger was immediately at his lips.

I was up the stairs in a flash. The noise had come from my old bedroom. But no one was in there. It was completely as I had left it. I trailed in circles around the room slowly, picking up trinkets and pictures and wiping dust off them. I knew he was in there.

"That power of yours is pretty useful," I mumbled, avoiding the space in front of the closet. It was instinct. Something was telling me that that was where he was. And I hadn't bumped into him yet while wandering the room. Nor had I heard him move.

I walked towards the bathroom to retrieve the squirt bottle, but Angel already had it in her hand, a smile on her face. The water swished as I walked and I grinned at the thought of what I was about to do.

Without a word, and before he could move, I sprayed several times at the air in front of me.

None of the water hit the closet doors.

Slowly, Fang took form in front of me, but he had a little girl in his arms. Her brown hair, like his black hair, was dripping wet. She held her little arms out, away from her body, and looked down at her wet clothes.

"Wet," she said simply, looking up at Fang, whose dark eyes never left my glaring ones.

"Yeah," he mumbled slowly.

**PREDICT :D**


End file.
